Azim Premji in Forbes list of 100 richest tech tycoons

Wipro Chairman Azim Premji along with HCL co-founder Shiv Nadar are placed in Forbes’ list of the world’s 100 richest people in technology, ranking in the top 20 ahead of Google boss Eric Schmidt and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.

The ‘100 Richest Tech Billionaires In The World 2016’ list has been topped by Microsoft founder Bill Gates with an estimated fortune of USD 78 billion.

Premji ranks 13th on the list with a net worth of USD 16 billion and Nadar comes in on the 17th spot with USD 11.6 billion of net worth. Two Indian-American technology czars Symphony Technology Group CEO Romesh Wadhwani and founders of IT consulting and outsourcing company Syntel Bharat Desai and his wife Neerja Sethi are also on the list.

Forbes said Premji, who heads India’s third-largest outsourcer, Wipro has been on a buying spree in the past year to boost growth. Premji’s son Rishad, who heads strategy and sits on the board, also oversees Wipro’s USD 100 million venture capital fund.

Wadhwani comes in on the 67th position with a USD 3 billion net worth. A recipient of the 2013 Forbes India Non-Resident Philanthropist Award, Wadhwani announced in 2015 that he plans to commit up to USD 1 billion to fund entrepreneurship initiatives in India.

Forbes said despite a tumultuous year for the stock market, “it was a good time to be a tech billionaire”.